Thin film transistor substrate and display using the same

ABSTRACT

Provided are a thin film transistor substrate and a display using the same. A display includes: a first thin film transistor, the first thin film transistor including: a polycrystalline semiconductor layer, a first gate electrode on the polycrystalline semiconductor layer, a first source electrode, and a first drain electrode, a second thin film transistor, the second thin film transistor including: a second gate electrode, an oxide semiconductor layer on the second gate electrode, a second source electrode, and a second drain electrode, an intermediate insulating layer including a nitride layer and an oxide layer on the nitride layer, the intermediate insulating layer being disposed on the first gate electrode and the second gate electrode and under the oxide semiconductor layer, and an etch-stopper layer disposed on the oxide semiconductor layer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No.10-2014-0021500, filed on Feb. 24, 2014; No. 10-2014-0021515, filed onFeb. 24, 2014; and No. 10-2015-0025169, filed on Feb. 23, 2015, theentire disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated by referenceherein for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a thin film transistor substratehaving two different types of thin film transistors on the samesubstrate, and a display using the same.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

Nowadays, as the information society is developed, the requirements ofdisplays for representing information are increasing. Accordingly,various flat panel displays (FPDs) are developed for overcoming manydrawbacks of the cathode ray tube (CRT) such as heavy weight and bulkvolume. Flat panel display devices include a liquid crystal displaydevice (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), a organic light emittingdisplay device (OLED), and a electrophoresis display device (ED).

The display panel of a flat panel display may include a thin filmtransistor substrate having a thin film transistor allocated in eachpixel region arrayed in a matrix manner. For example, the liquid crystaldisplay device (LCD) represents video data by controlling the lighttransitivity of the liquid crystal layer using electric fields. Theorganic light emitting diode display represents video data by generatingproperly controlled light at each pixel disposed in a matrix mannerusing an organic light emitting diode formed in each pixel.

As a self-emitting display device, the organic light emitting diodedisplay device has merits including very fast response speed, highbrightness, and large viewing angle. The organic light emitting diodedisplay (OLED) using the organic light emitting diode having good energyefficiency can be categorized in the passive matrix type organic lightemitting diode display (PMOLED) and the active matrix type organic lightemitting diode display (AMOLED).

As personal appliances have been more adopted, portable and/or wearabledevices have been actively developed. To apply the display device for aportable and/or wearable device, the device should have low powerconsumption. However, using already developed technologies, a limitationhas been getting a display with low power consumption.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a thin film transistorsubstrate and display using the same that substantially obviate one ormore of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the relatedart.

An object of the present invention is to provide a thin film transistorsubstrate for a flat panel display having at least two transistorshaving different characteristics from each other on the same substrate.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a thin filmtransistor substrate for a flat panel display having two different typesof transistors manufactured with an efficient manufacturing process andreduced number of mask processes.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth inthe description which follows, and in part will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Theobjectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized andattained by the structure particularly pointed out in the writtendescription and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposeof the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, a displayincludes: a first thin film transistor, the first thin film transistorincluding: a polycrystalline semiconductor layer, a first gate electrodeon the polycrystalline semiconductor layer, a first source electrode,and a first drain electrode, a second thin film transistor, the secondthin film transistor including: a second gate electrode, an oxidesemiconductor layer on the second gate electrode, a second sourceelectrode, and a second drain electrode, an intermediate insulatinglayer including a nitride layer and an oxide layer on the nitride layer,the intermediate insulating layer being disposed on the first gateelectrode and the second gate electrode and under the oxidesemiconductor layer, and an etch-stopper layer disposed on the oxidesemiconductor layer.

In another aspect, a display includes: a first semiconductor layer, thefirst semiconductor layer including a polycrystalline semiconductormaterial, a gate insulating layer covering the first semiconductorlayer, a first gate electrode disposed on the gate insulating layer, thefirst gate electrode overlapping the first semiconductor layer, a secondgate electrode disposed on the gate insulating layer, an intermediateinsulating layer covering the first gate electrode and the second gateelectrode, the intermediate insulating layer including: a nitride layer,and an oxide layer on the nitride layer, a second semiconductor layerdisposed on the intermediate insulating layer, the second semiconductorlayer including an oxide semiconductor material, the secondsemiconductor layer overlapping the second gate electrode, a firstsource electrode and a first drain electrode disposed on theintermediate insulating layer, an etch-stopper layer disposed on thesecond semiconductor layer, and a second source electrode and a seconddrain electrode disposed on the etch-stopper layer.

Other systems, methods, features and advantages will be, or will become,apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the followingfigures and detailed description. It is intended that all suchadditional systems, methods, features and advantages be included withinthis description, be within the scope of the present disclosure, and beprotected by the following claims. Nothing in this section should betaken as a limitation on those claims. Further aspects and advantagesare discussed below in conjunction with the embodiments. It is to beunderstood that both the foregoing general description and the followingdetailed description of the present disclosure are examples andexplanatory, and are intended to provide further explanation of thedisclosure as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate implementations of the inventionand together with the description serve to explain the principles of theinvention.

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view illustrating a structure of a thin filmtransistor substrate for a flat panel display in which two differenttype thin film transistors are formed according to a first embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method for manufacturing the thinfilm transistor substrate for a flat panel display in which twodifferent type thin film transistors are formed according to the firstembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 a block diagram illustrating a structure of a display accordingto a first application example of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a plane view illustrating a thin film transistor substratehaving an oxide semiconductor layer included in a fringe field typeliquid crystal display according to a second application example of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of the thinfilm transistor substrate of FIG. 4 by cutting along the line I-I′according to the second application example of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a plane view illustrating the structure of one pixel for theactive matrix type organic light emitting diode display having activeswitching elements, such as thin film transistors, according to a thirdapplication embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view illustrating the structure of theorganic light emitting diode display along to the cutting line II-IF inFIG. 6 according to a third application embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged plane view illustrating a structure of an organiclight emitting diode display according to a fourth applicationembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view illustrating a structure of the organiclight emitting diode display along the cutting line III-III′ in FIG. 8according to a fourth application embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. Like reference numerals designate like elements throughout thedetailed description. However, the present disclosure is not restrictedby these embodiments but can be applied to various changes ormodifications without changing the technical spirit. In the followingembodiments, the names of the elements are selected for ease ofexplanation and may be different from actual names. Hereinafter, themeaning for the term of “on” includes “directly on” and “indirectly on”in all scopes of the specification. Similarly, the meaning for the termof “over” includes “directly over” and “indirectly over” in all scopesof the specification. Further, the meaning for the term of “under”includes “directly under” and “indirectly under” in all scopes of thespecification.

The thin film transistor substrate for a flat panel display according tothe present disclosure comprises a first thin film transistor disposedin a first area and a second thin film transistor disposed in a secondarea, on the same substrate. The substrate may include a display areaand a non-display area. In the display area, a plurality of pixel areais arrayed in a matrix manner. In one pixel area, the display elementsare disposed. In the non-display area surrounding the display area, thedriver elements for driving the display elements in the pixel area aredisposed.

Here, the first area may be the non-display area, and the second areamay be some portions or all portions of the display area. In this case,the first thin film transistor and the second thin film transistor aredisposed as they may be apart from each other. Otherwise, the first areaand the second area may be included in the display area. Especially, forthe case that a plurality of thin film transistor are disposed in onepixel area, the first thin film transistor and the second thin filmtransistor may be closely disposed.

As the polycrystalline semiconductor material has the characteristics ofhigh mobility (over 100 cm2/Vs) and of low energy consumption power, andit has high reliability, it is proper to apply to the driver IC, such asthe gate driver and/or the multiplexer (MUX) for driving the displayelements. In addition, it can be applied to the driving thin filmtransistor disposed in the pixel area of the organic light emittingdiode display. As the oxide semiconductor material has low off-current,it is proper to apply to the channel layer of the switching thin filmtransistor in the pixel area, in which the ON time period is very shortbut the OFF time period is long. Further, as the off-current is low, theholding time of the pixel voltage may be long, so that it is preferableto apply the display with low frequency drive and/or low powerconsumption. By disposing these two different type thin filmtransistors, the present disclosure suggests a thin film transistorsubstrate having an optimized function and characteristic for theportable and/or wearable displays.

When the semiconductor layer is formed using the polycrystallinesemiconductor material, the doping process and high temperaturetreatment process are used. On the contrary, when the semiconductorlayer is formed using the oxide semiconductor material, it is performedunder a relatively lower temperature process. Therefore, it ispreferable that the polycrystalline semiconductor layer, performed undera more severe heat condition, is first formed, and after that, the oxidesemiconductor layer is formed. To do so, in the present disclosure, thefirst thin film transistor having the polycrystalline semiconductormaterial may have a top gate structure, and the second thin filmtransistor having the oxide semiconductor material would have a bottomgate structure.

Further, in view of manufacturing process, when the polycrystallinesemiconductor material has a lot of vacancy, the characteristics may beseverely degraded. Therefore, a hydrogenation process may be performedin which the vacancies are filled with hydrogen particles. On the otherhand, for the oxide semiconductor material, the vacancies may act as thecarriers, so it may be desired that the thermal treatment be performedwith a small amount of vacancies in the oxide semiconductor material.These processes, the hydrogenation process and the thermal treatment,can be performed by a post-thermal process under a 350˜380° C.temperature condition.

For the hydrogenation process, a nitride layer having a lot of hydrogenparticles may be provided over the polycrystalline semiconductormaterial. As the materials used for depositing the nitride layer has alarge amount of hydrogen, a lot of hydrogen particles may be includedinto the deposited nitride layer. By the thermal process, the hydrogenparticles can be diffused into the polycrystalline semiconductormaterial. As the result, the polycrystalline semiconductor layer can bestabilized. During the thermal process, too much of the hydrogenparticles should not be diffused into the oxide semiconductor material.Therefore, an oxide layer should be disposed between the nitride layerand the oxide semiconductor material. As a result, the oxidesemiconductor layer can be stabilized but may be affected too much bythe hydrogen particles.

Hereinafter, for convenience, the first thin film transistor is for thedriver IC disposed in the non-display area and the second thin filmtransistor is for the display element disposed in the pixel area of thedisplay area. However, embodiments are not restricted to this case. Forexample, in a organic light emitting diode display, the first thin filmtransistor and the second thin film transistor may be disposed at onepixel area in the display area. Especially, the first thin filmtransistor having the polycrystalline semiconductor material may beapplied for the driving thin film transistor, and the second thin filmtransistor having the oxide semiconductor material may be applied forthe switching thin film transistor.

First Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view illustrating a structure of a thin filmtransistor substrate for a flat panel display in which two differenttype thin film transistors are formed according to a first embodiment ofthe present disclosure. Here, the cross sectional views more clearly andconveniently show the main features of the present disclosure.

With reference to FIG. 1, the thin film transistor substrate for a flatpanel display according to the first embodiment comprises a first thinfilm transistor T1 and a second thin film transistor T2 which aredisposed on the same substrate SUB. The first and second thin filmtransistors T1 and T2 may be far apart from each other, or they may bedisposed within a relatively close distance. Otherwise, these two thinfilm transistors are disposed as being overlapping each other.

On the whole surface of the substrate SUB, a buffer layer BUF isdeposited. In some cases, the buffer layer BUF may not be included. Or,the buffer layer BUF may be a plurality of layers. Here, forconvenience, a single layer arrangement will be explained. Further, alight shield layer may be included at some areas between the substrateSUB and the buffer layer BUF. The light shield layer may be furtherdisposed to prevent the light from inducing into the semiconductor layerof the thin film transistor disposed thereon.

On the buffer layer BUF, a first semiconductor layer A1 is disposed. Thefirst semiconductor layer A1 includes a channel area of the first thinfilm transistor T1. The channel area is defined as the overlapped areabetween the first gate electrode G1 and the first channel layer A1. Asthe first gate electrode G1 is overlapped with the middle portions ofthe first semiconductor layer A1, the middle portion of the firstsemiconductor layer A1 is the channel area. The two areas expanded toboth sides of the channel area where the impurities are doped aredefined as the source area SA and the drain area DA, respectively.

For the case that the first thin film transistor T1 is for the driverIC, it is preferable that the semiconductor layer has a characteristicfor high speed performance with a lower power consumption. For example,P-MOS type or N-MOS type thin film transistor may be used, or C-MOS typemay be applied for the first thin film transistor T1. The P-MOS, N-MOSand/or C-MOS type thin film transistor preferably has a polycrystallinesemiconductor material, such as poly-crystalline silicon (p-Si).Further, the first thin film transistor T1 preferably has a top gatestructure.

On the whole surface of the substrate SUB having the first semiconductorlayer A1, a gate insulating layer GI is deposited. The gate insulatinglayer GI may be made of the silicon nitride (SiN_(x)) material or thesilicon oxide (SiO_(x)) material. It may be preferable that the gateinsulating layer GI has the thickness of 1,000 Å˜1,500 Å for ensuringthe stability and characteristics of the elements. In the case that thegate insulating layer GI may be made of silicon nitride (SiN_(x)), inthe view point of manufacturing process, the gate insulating layer GIincludes a lot of hydrogen particles. As these hydrogen particles wouldbe diffused out from the gate insulating layer GI, it is preferable thatthe gate insulating layer GI is made of silicon oxide material.

The diffusion of the hydrogen particles may cause positive effects onthe first semiconductor layer A1 including polycrystalline semiconductormaterial. However, it may cause negative effects on the second thin filmtransistor T2 having different material from the first thin filmtransistor T1. Therefore, when at least two thin film transistors havingdifferent characteristics from each other are formed on the samesubstrate SUB, it is preferable that the gate insulating layer GI wouldbe made of silicon oxide (SiO_(x)), which is less likely to affect thesemiconductor material. In some cases, unlike in the first embodiment,the gate insulating layer GI may be deposited as having the thickness of2,000 Å˜4,000 Å. In those cases, when the gate insulating layer GI ismade of the nitride silicon (SiN_(x)), much more of the hydrogenparticles may be diffused. Considering these cases, it is preferablethat the gate insulating layer GI would be the oxide layer, such assilicon oxide (SiO_(x)).

On the gate insulating layer GI, a first gate electrode G1 and a secondgate electrode G2 are disposed. The first gate electrode G1 is disposedover the middle portion of the first semiconductor layer A1. The secondgate electrode G2 is located where the second thin film transistor T2 isdisposed. The first and the second gate electrodes G1 and G2 are formedon the same layer, with the same material, and by using the same maskprocess. Therefore, the manufacturing process can be simplified.

An intermediate insulating layer ILD is deposited covering the first andthe second gate electrodes G1 and G2. The intermediate insulating layerILD has a multiple layer structure, in which a nitride layer SINincluding a silicon nitride (SiN_(x)) and an oxide layer SIO including asilicon oxide (SiO_(x)) are alternatively stacked. Here, for convenienceof explanation, the intermediate insulating layer ILD, as described,includes two layers in which the oxide layer SIO is stacked on thenitride layer SIN.

The nitride layer SIN is deposited for performing the hydrogenationprocess to the first semiconductor layer A1 having the polycrystallinesilicon by diffusing the hydrogen particles into the polycrystallinesilicon. On the contrary, the oxide layer SIO is for preventing thehydrogen particles of the nitride layer SIN from being diffused too muchinto the semiconductor material of the second thin film transistor T2.

For example, the hydrogen going out from the nitride layer SIN maydiffuse into the first semiconductor layer A1 under the gate insulatinglayer GI. Therefore, the nitride layer SIN is preferably deposited asclose to the gate insulating layer GI as possible. On the contrary, thehydrogen going out from the nitride layer SIN would not diffuse too muchinto the semiconductor material of the second thin film transistor T2over the gate insulating layer GI. Therefore, on the nitride layer SIN,the oxide layer SIO should be deposited. Considering the manufacturingprocess, it is preferable that the intermediate insulating layer ILD hasthe thickness of 2,000 Å˜6,000 Å. Therefore, each thickness of thenitride layer SIN and the oxide layer SIO preferably have a thickness of1,000 Å˜3,000 Å, respectively. Further, in order that much more amountof the hydrogen particles from the nitride layer SIN into the firstsemiconductor layer A1, but the hydrogen particles may not affect thesecond semiconductor layer A2, it is preferable that the oxide layer SIOis thicker than the gate insulating layer GI. In addition, as the oxidelayer SIO is for controlling the hydrogen diffusion amount, it ispreferable that the oxide layer SIO is thicker than the nitride layerSIN.

Especially, on the oxide layer SIO of the intermediate insulating layerILD, a second semiconductor layer A2 overlapping with the second gateelectrode G2 is disposed. The second semiconductor layer A2 includes thechannel area of the second thin film transistor T2. For the case thatthe second thin film transistor T2 is applied for the display element,it is preferable that the second semiconductor layer A2 hascharacteristics proper to perform the switching element. For example, itis preferable that the second semiconductor layer A2 includes an oxidesemiconductor material, such as indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO), indiumgallium oxide (IGO), or indium zinc oxide (IZO). The oxide semiconductormaterial has a merit for driving the device with relatively lowfrequency. Due to these characteristics, the pixels may have a longperiod for holding the pixel voltage, and consequentially, it may bedesirable to apply the display with a low frequency drive and/or lowpower consumption. For the thin film transistor having the oxidesemiconductor material, considering the structure in which two differenttype thin film transistors are formed on the same substrate, it ispreferable that the oxide semiconductor thin film transistor has abottom gate structure for ensuring the stability of the elements.

On the substrate SUB having the second semiconductor layer A2, anetch-stopper layer ESL may be deposited. At the etch-stopper layer ESL,a second source contact hole SH2 exposing one portion of the secondsemiconductor layer A2 and a second drain contact hole DH2 exposinganother portion of the second semiconductor layer A2 may be formed.Further, a first source contact hole SH1 exposing one portion of thefirst semiconductor layer A1 and a first drain contact hole DH1 exposinganother portion of the semiconductor layer A1 may be formed bypenetrating the etch-stopper layer ESL, the intermediate layer ILD, andthe gate insulating layer.

Otherwise, the etch-stopper layer ESL may be formed as an island shapeformed on the middle portions of the second semiconductor layer A2. Insuch case, both side portions of the second semiconductor layer A2 maybe exposed. Therefore, it may be advantageous for the second sourcecontact hole SH2 and the second drain contact hole DH2, for exposing theone portion and the other portion, respectively, to not be formed.Further, as the etch-stopper layer ESL may not be disposed over thefirst semiconductor layer A1, the first contact hole SH1 and the seconddrain contact hole DH1 may be formed to penetrate the intermediateinsulating layer ILD and the gate insulating layer GI.

The source-drain electrodes may be disposed on the etch-stopper layerESL. The first source electrode S1 and the first drain electrode D1 maybe disposed to face each other with a predetermined distance across thefirst gate electrode G1. The first source electrode S1 may be connectedto one side of the first semiconductor layer A1, e.g., to the sourcearea SA, through the first source contact hole SH1. The first sourcecontact hole SH1 may expose the one side of the first semiconductorlayer A1, e.g., the source area SA, by penetrating the etch-stopperlayer ESL, the intermediate insulating layer ILD, and the gateinsulating layer GI. The first drain electrode D1 may be connected tothe other side of the first semiconductor layer A1, e.g., the drain areaDA, through the first drain contact hole DH1. The first drain contacthole DH1 may expose the other side of the first semiconductor layer A1,e.g., the drain area DA, by penetrating the etch-stopper layer ESL, theintermediate insulating layer ILD, and the gate insulating layer GI.

In addition, the second source electrode S2 and the second drainelectrode D2 may be disposed to face each other with a predetermineddistance across the second gate electrode G2. The second sourceelectrode S2 may be connected to one side of the second semiconductorlayer A2 through the second source contact hole SH2. The second drainelectrode D2 may be connected to the other side of the secondsemiconductor layer A2 through the second drain contact hole DH2. In anexample in which the second source-drain electrodes S2-D2 directlycontact the upper surfaces of the second semiconductor layer A2, thechannel area may not be precisely defined because the conductivity maybe diffused into the channel area from the second source-drain electrodeS2-D2 when they are patterned. However, in the present disclosure, thesecond semiconductor layer A2 may be connected to the secondsource-drain electrodes S2-D2 through the second source contact holesSH2 and the second drain contact holes DH2, respectively. The channelarea can be precisely defined in the second semiconductor layer A2.

On the whole surface of the substrate SUB having the first thin filmtransistor T1 and the second thin film transistor T2, a passivationlayer PAS is deposited. Further, by patterning the passivation layerPAS, contact holes for exposing the first drain electrode D1 and/or thesecond drain electrode D2 may be included. In addition, on thepassivation layer PAS, a pixel electrode (e.g., an anode electrode forthe organic light emitting diode display) may be included as connectingto the first drain electrode D1 and/or second drain electrode D2. Here,for convenience, the structure of the thin film transistor showing themain features of the present disclosure will be explained.

As mentioned above, the thin film transistor substrate for the flatpanel display according to the first embodiment of the presentdisclosure suggests the structure in which the first thin filmtransistor T1 has a polycrystalline semiconductor material and thesecond thin film transistor T2 has an oxide semiconductor material, onthe same one substrate SUB. Especially, the first gate electrode G1 ofthe first thin film transistor T1 and the second gate electrode G2 ofthe second thin film transistor T2 are formed on the same layer with thesame metal material.

The first semiconductor layer A1 of the first thin film transistor T1having the polycrystalline semiconductor material is disposed under thefirst gate electrode G1, but the second semiconductor layer A2 of thesecond thin film transistor T2 having the oxide semiconductor materialis disposed over the second gate electrode G2. The first semiconductorlayer A1 which may be manufactured under a relatively higher temperaturecondition is formed first. After that, the second semiconductor layerA2, which may be manufactured under the relatively lower temperaturecondition, is formed. As a result, the oxide semiconductor material isnot exposed by the high temperature condition, during the wholemanufacturing processes. As the first semiconductor layer A1 is formedbefore forming the first gate electrode G1, the first thin filmtransistor T1 has a top-gate structure. As the second semiconductorlayer A1 is formed after forming the second gate electrode G2, thesecond thin film transistor T2 a the bottom-gate structure.

Further, in the thermal treatment process for the second semiconductorlayer A2 including the oxide semiconductor material, the hydrogenationprocess for the first semiconductor layer A1 including thepolycrystalline semiconductor material can be performed, at the sametime. To do so, it is preferable that the intermediate insulating layerILD includes two stacked layers as disposing an oxide layer SIO over anitride layer SIN. In the view of manufacturing process, a hydrogenationmay be used for diffusing the hydrogen particles into the firstsemiconductor layer A1. Further, it is advantageous for performing athermal treatment for stabilizing the second semiconductor layer A2including the oxide semiconductor material. The hydrogenation processmay be performed after depositing the nitride layer SIN on the firstsemiconductor layer A1, and the thermal treatment may be performed afterforming the second semiconductor layer A2. According to the firstembodiment of the present disclosure, as the oxide layer SIO isdeposited between the nitride layer SIN and the second semiconductorlayer A2, the hydrogen particles can be prevented from diffusing toomuch into the second semiconductor layer A2 including the oxidesemiconductor material. Therefore, in this first embodiment of thepresent disclosure, during the thermal treatment for the oxidesemiconductor material, the hydrogenation process may be performed atthe same time.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method for manufacturing a thinfilm transistor substrate having two different types of thin filmtransistors according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

In operation S100, on a substrate SUB, a buffer layer BUF is deposited.Even though it is not shown in figures, before depositing the bufferlayer BUF, a light shield layer may be formed at a desired area.

In operation S110, on the buffer layer BUF, an amorphous silicon (a-Si)material is deposited. Performing the crystallization process, theamorphous silicon layer is converted into the polycrystalline silicon(poly-Si). Using a first mask process, the polycrystalline silicon layeris patterned to form a first semiconductor layer A1.

In operation S120, by depositing an insulating material, such as siliconoxide, on the whole surface of the substrate SUB having the firstsemiconductor layer A1, a gate insulating layer GI is formed. The gateinsulating layer GI preferably includes the silicon oxide. Here, thegate insulating layer GI preferably has a thickness of 1,000 Å˜1,500 Å.

In operation S200, on the gate insulating layer GI, a gate metalmaterial is deposited. Using a second mask process, the gate metal layeris patterned to form the gate electrodes. Especially, a first gateelectrode G1 for the first thin film transistor T1 and a second gateelectrode G2 for the second thin film transistor T2 are formed at thesame time. The first gate electrode G1 is disposed as overlapping withthe middle portion of the first semiconductor layer A1. The second gateelectrode G2 is disposed where the second thin film transistor T2 isformed.

In operation S210, using the first gate electrode G1 as a mask, impuritymaterials are doped into some portions of the first semiconductor layerA1 so that doping areas including a source area SA and a drain area DAmay be defined. The detailed manufacturing process for the doping areasmay be little bit different according to the types of thin filmtransistor (e.g., P MOS type, N-MOS type and/or C-MOS type). For examplefor the N-MOS type, a high density doping area may be formed first, andthen a low density doping area may be formed. Using the photo-resistpattern for the first gate electrode G1 which has a wider size than thefirst gate electrode G1, the high density doping area can be defined.Removing the photo-resist pattern and using the first gate electrode G1as a mask, the low density doping (LDD) area can be defined between thehigh density doping area and the first gate electrode G1. The impuritydoping areas are not shown in the figures, for convenience.

In operation S220, on the whole surface of the substrate SUB having thefirst gate electrode G1 and the second gate electrode G2, anintermediate insulating layer ILD is deposited. Especially, a nitridelayer SIN is firstly deposited and then an oxide layer SIO issequentially deposited thereon. The nitride layer SIN includes a lot ofhydrogen particles during the depositing process. Considering themanufacturing process, the total thickness of the intermediateinsulating layer ILD may have a thickness of 2,000 Å˜6,000 Å. Here, forthe nitride layer SIN of which purpose is the diffusion of the hydrogenparticles, considering the hydrogenation efficiency, it preferably has athickness of 1,000 Å˜3,000 Å. As the oxide layer SIO is for preventingthe hydrogen particle from diffusing too much into the semiconductorlayer disposed over the oxide layer SIO, it preferably has the thicknessof 1,000 Å˜3,000 Å. Considering the hydrogen diffusion efficiency andthe element properties, the thicknesses of the oxide layer SIO and thenitride layer SIN may preferably be selected and/or decided. Forexample, in order to prevent the hydrogen particles from diffusing outtoo much, the nitride layer SIN is preferably thinner than the oxidelayer SIO.

In operation S300, on the intermediate insulating layer ILD, especiallyon the oxide layer SIO, an oxide semiconductor material is deposited.Further, the oxide semiconductor material is preferably depositeddirectly on the oxide layer SIO in order that the oxide semiconductormaterial does not directly contact the nitride layer SIN including thehydrogen particles much. The oxide semiconductor material includes atleast one of Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide (IGZO), Indium Gallium Oxide(IGO), and Indium Zinc Oxide (IZO). Using a third mask process, theoxide semiconductor material is patterned to form a second semiconductorlayer A2. The second semiconductor layer A2 is disposed as overlappingwith the second gate electrode G2.

In operation S310, performing a post-thermal process to the substrateSUB having the second semiconductor layer A2, the hydrogenation for thefirst semiconductor layer A1 including the polycrystalline silicon andthe thermal treatment for the second semiconductor layer A2 includingthe oxide semiconductor material are performed at the same time. Thepost-thermal process may be performed under a 350˜380° C. temperaturecondition. At this time, a large amount of the hydrogen particlesincluded in the nitride layer SIN would be diffused into the firstsemiconductor layer A1. However, the amount of the hydrogen particlesdiffused into the second semiconductor layer A2 may be restricted and/orcontrolled by the oxide layer SIO. In some cases, the hydrogenationprocess for the first semiconductor layer A1 is performed separatelyfrom the thermal treatment for the second semiconductor layer A2. Inthese cases, the hydrogenation process is first performed afteroperation S220 for depositing the intermediate insulating layer ILD, andthen the thermal treatment for the second semiconductor layer A2 isperformed by this post-thermal process.

In operation 320, an etch-stopper layer ESL may be deposited using anoxide insulating material such as the silicon oxide (SiO_(x)) materialon the whole surface of the substrate SUB having the secondsemiconductor layer A2. As the etch-stopper layer ESL may be directlystacked on the second semiconductor material A2, the etch-stopper layerESL may include the oxide insulating material which does not diffuse thehydrogen particles.

In operation S400, using a fourth mask process, the etch-stopper layerESL may be patterned to form a second source contact hole SH2, exposingone portion of the second semiconductor layer A2, and a second draincontact hole DH2, exposing another portion of the second semiconductorlayer A2. At the same time, the etch-stopper layer ESL, the intermediateinsulating layer ILD and the gate insulating layer GI may be patternedto form a first source contact hole SH1, exposing the one portion of thefirst semiconductor layer A1, and a first drain contact hole DH1,exposing the other portion of the first semiconductor layer A1.

The etch-stopper layer ESL may be patterned to cover the middle portionsof the second semiconductor layer A2, exposing both side portions andwithout having the second source contact hole SH2 and the second draincontact hole DH2. In such case, the patterning process for the firstsource contact hole SH1 and the first drain contact hole DH1 may beperformed in sequence after the patterning process for the etch-stopperlayer ESL.

Here, the sequential order of the post-thermal treatment process may bechanged. For example, operation S400 for forming the contact holes maybe performed first, and then operation S310 for performing thepost-thermal treatment may be performed later.

In operation S500, a source-drain metal material may be deposited on theetch-stopper layer ESL which may have the first source contact hole SH1,the first drain contact hole DH1, the second source contact hole SH2,and the second drain contact hole DH2. Using a fifth mask process, thesource-drain metal material may be patterned to form a first sourceelectrode S1, a first drain electrode D1, a second source electrode S2,and a second drain electrode D2. The first source electrode S1 mayconnect to the one area of the first semiconductor layer A1, e.g., thesource area SA, through the first source contact hole SH1. The firstdrain electrode D1 may connect to the other area of the firstsemiconductor layer A1, e.g., the drain area DA, through the first draincontact hole DH1. The second source electrode S2 may connect to the oneportion of the second semiconductor layer A2 through the second sourcecontact hole SH2. The second drain electrode D2 may connect to the otherportion of the second semiconductor layer A2 through the second draincontact hole DH2.

In the case that the etch-stopper ESL is patterned as covering themiddle portions of the second semiconductor layer A2, the second sourceelectrode S2 may contact the upper surfaces of the one side of theetch-stopper layer ESL and the one side of the second semiconductorlayer A2. Similarly, the second drain electrode D2 may contact the uppersurfaces of the other side of the etch-stopper layer ESL and the otherside of the second semiconductor layer A2.

In operation S600, on the whole surface of the substrate SUB having thesource-drain electrodes, a passivation layer PAS is deposited. Eventhough not shown in the figures, the passivation layer PAS may bepatterned to form contact holes for exposing some portions of the firstand/or second drain electrodes D1 and/or D2.

According to the first embodiment, the intermediate insulating layer ILDmay have the double-layered structure in which the oxide layer SIO isstacked on the nitride layer SIN. Otherwise, the intermediate layer ILDmay have a triple-layered structure, in which a lower oxide layer (notshown) is further stacked under the nitride layer.

The intermediate layer ILD also acts as a gate insulating layer for thesecond thin film transistor T2. Therefore, when the intermediate layerILD is too thick, the gate voltage many not be properly applied to thesecond semiconductor layer A2. Therefore, the whole thickness of theintermediate layer ILD preferably has a thickness of 2,000 Å˜6,000 Å.

By the post-thermal process, the hydrogen particles in the nitride layerSIN would be diffused into the first semiconductor layer A1. Inconsideration of the diffusion efficiency, it is preferable that thelower oxide layer SIO1 has a thickness of 500 Å˜1,500 Å, and the nitridelayer SIN has a thickness of 1,000 Å˜2,000 Å. As the upper oxide layerSIO2 is for restricting the diffusion of hydrogen into the secondsemiconductor layer A2, it is preferable that the upper oxide layer SIO2has the thickness of 1,000 Å˜3,000 Å. Especially, as the upper oxidelayer SIO2 is for controlling the hydrogen diffusion amount, it ispreferable that the upper oxide layer SIO2 is thicker than the nitridelayer SIN.

First Application Example

The thin film transistor substrate having two different type thin filmtransistors on the same substrate, above explained, can be applied tovarious type display including the flat panel display, the flexibledisplay and/or the curved display. By forming the different two types ofthin film transistors on the same substrate, various advantages can beachieved. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a structure of thedisplay according to a first application example of the presentdisclosure. With reference to FIG. 3, advanced features and meritsexpected from the thin film transistor substrate according to a firstapplication example of the present disclosure will be explained.

The first and the second transistors T1 and T2 would be formed in eachpixel of the display panel 100 for switching the data voltage applied tothe pixel or for driving the pixel. In the case of an organic lightemitting diode display, the second thin film transistor T2 may be aswitch element for the pixel, and the first thin film transistor T1 maybe a driver element. In the interim, by combining the first and thesecond thin film transistors T1 and T2, they may be applied to oneswitch element or one driver element.

For a mobile device or a wearable device, in order to reduce the powerconsumption, the lower speed driving method using a low frame rate isadopted. In this case, the frame frequency may be lowered for stillimage and/or images having a slower update interval. Here, when usingthe lower frame rate, at every time for changing the data voltage, thebrightness of the display may be flashed. In some cases, as thedischarging time interval is elongated, the brightness may be flickeredat every data update period. By applying the first and the second thinfilm transistors T1 and T2 according to the present disclosure, theflicker problem at lower speed driving method can be prevented.

In the lower speed driving method, as the data update period iselongated, the leaked current amount of the switching thin filmtransistor may be increased. The leaked current of the switching thinfilm transistor may cause a voltage drop down of the storage capacitanceand a drop down of the voltage between gate and source. The second thinfilm transistor having the oxide semiconductor material can be appliedto the switch thin film transistor of the organic light emitting diodedisplay. Because the thin film transistor including the oxidesemiconductor material has lower off-current characteristics, thevoltage drop down of the storage capacitance and/or of the gateelectrode of the driving thin film transistor is prevented. The flickerphenomenon does not occur when using the lower speed driving method.

As polycrystalline silicon has the characteristics of high mobility, byapplying the first thin film transistor to the driving thin filmtransistor of the organic light emitting diode display, the currentamount supplied to the organic light emitting diode can be enlarged.Therefore, by applying the second thin film transistor T2 to theswitching thin film transistor and the first thin film transistor T1 tothe driving thin film transistor, the organic light emitting diodedisplay can achieve lower power consumption and better video quality.

As the thin film transistor substrate according to the presentdisclosure has excellent video quality without flickers even though thelower speed driving method is applied, it has a merit of being verysuitable for applying to the mobile display or the wearable display. Forthe example of wearable wrist watch, the video data may be updated atevery one second for reducing the power consumption. In that case, theframe frequency is 1 Hz. Using the arrangement of the presentdisclosure, excellent video quality without flickering can be achievedeven though the video data is driven with lower frequency, such as 1 Hzor less. Further, for the mobile display or the wearable display, theframe rate for the still image can be remarkably lowered, so that thepower consumption can be saved without any degradation of the videoquality. As the result, the video quality of the mobile display and/orwearable display, and the life time of the battery can be elongated. Inaddition, the present disclosure can be applied to the electric bookdevice (or “E-Book”) of which the data update period is very long,without any degradation of the video quality.

At least one of the first and the second thin film transistors T1 and T2may be embedded into a driver IC, for example shown in FIG. 3, e.g., anyone of the data driver IC 200, the multiplexer (MUX) 210, and the gatedriver IC 300, for forming the driver IC. This driver IC writes and/orapplies the data voltage to the pixel. In another case, any one of thefirst and the second thin film transistors T1 and T2 is disposed withinthe pixel, and the other is disposed in the driver IC. The data driverIC 200 converts the input video data into the voltage values and outputthe voltage values. The multiplexer 210 may reduce the number of theoutput channel of the data driver 200, by distributing the data voltagesfrom the data driver 200 to the data lines DL by time-sharing ortime-division method. The gate driver IC 300 outputs the scan signal (or“gate signal”) to the gate line GL synchronized to the data voltage forsequentially selecting the pixel line where the data voltage is applied.In order to reduce the output channel number of the gate driver IC 300,other multiplexers not shown in the figures may be further includedbetween the gate driver IC 300 and the gate line GL. The multiplexer 210and the gate driver IC 300 may be formed on the same thin filmtransistor substrate within the pixel array, as shown in FIG. 3. Themultiplexer 210 and the gate driver IC 300 may be disposed within thenon-display area NA and the pixel array may be disposed within thedisplay area AA, as shown in FIG. 3.

The thin film transistor substrate according to the present disclosuremay be applied to any type of active type display using an active matrixthin film transistor substrate, such as the liquid crystal display, theorganic light emitting diode display, and/or the electrophoresis displaydevice. Hereinafter, more application examples for the display using thethin film transistor substrate according to the present disclosure willbe explained.

Second Application Example

FIG. 4 is a plane view illustrating a thin film transistor substratehaving an oxide semiconductor layer included in a fringe field typeliquid crystal display according to a second application example of thepresent disclosure. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating thestructure of the thin film transistor substrate of FIG. 4 by cuttingalong the line I-I′ according to the second application example of thepresent disclosure.

The thin film transistor substrate having a metal oxide semiconductorlayer shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 comprises a gate line GL and a data line DLcrossing each other with a gate insulating layer GI therebetween on alower substrate SUB, and a thin film transistor T formed at eachcrossing portion. By the crossing structure of the gate line GL and thedata line DL, a pixel area is defined.

The thin film transistor T comprises a gate electrode G branched (or“extruded”) from the gate line GL, a source electrode S branched fromthe data line DL, a drain electrode D facing the source electrode S, anda semiconductor layer A overlapping with the gate electrode G on thegate insulating layer GI for forming a channel area between the sourceelectrode S and the drain electrode D.

At one end of the gate line GL, a gate pad GP is disposed for receivingthe gate signal. The gate pad GP is connected to a gate pad intermediateterminal IGT through the first gate pad contact hole GH1 penetrating thegate insulating layer GI. The gate pad intermediate terminal IGT isconnected to the gate pad terminal GPT through the second gate padcontact hole GH2 penetrating the first passivation layer PA1 and thesecond passivation layer PA2. Further, at one end of the data line DL, adata pad DP is disposed for receiving the pixel signal. The data pad DPis connected to a data pad terminal DPT through the data pad contacthole DPH penetrating the first passivation layer PA1 and the secondpassivation layer PA2.

In the pixel area, a pixel electrode PXL and a common electrode COM areformed with the second passivation layer PA2 there-between, to form afringe electric field. The common electrode COM is connected to thecommon line CL disposed in parallel with the gate line GL. The commonelectrode COM is supplied with a reference voltage (or “common voltage”)via the common line CL. For other cases, the common electrode COM hasthe one sheet electrode shape which covers the whole surface of thesubstrate SUB except the drain contact hole DH portions. That is,covering over the data line DL, the common electrode COM can work as ashielding means for the data line DL.

The common electrode COM and the pixel electrode PXL can have variousshapes and positions according to the design purpose and environment.While the common electrode COM is supplied with a reference voltagehaving constant value, the pixel electrode PXL is supplied with a datavoltage varying timely according to the video data. Therefore, betweenthe data line DL and the pixel electrode PXL, a parasitic capacitancemay be formed. Due to the parasitic capacitance, the video quality ofthe display may be degraded. Therefore, it is preferable that the commonelectrode COM is disposed at the lower layer and the pixel electrode PXLis disposed at the topmost layer.

In other words, on the first passivation layer PA1 covering the dataline DL and the thin film transistor T, a planarization layer PAC isstacked thereon by thickly depositing an organic material having a lowpermittivity. Then, the common electrode COM is formed. And then, afterdepositing the second passivation layer PA2 to cover the commonelectrode COM, the pixel electrode PXL overlapping with the commonelectrode is formed on the second passivation layer PA2. In thisstructure, the pixel electrode PXL is far from the data line DL by thefirst passivation layer PA1, the planarization layer PAC and the secondpassivation layer PA2, so that it is possible to reduce the parasiticcapacitance between the data line DL and the pixel electrode PXL. Inother case, the pixel electrode PXL may be disposed at the lower layerand the common electrode COM is disposed at the topmost layer.

The common electrode COM may have a rectangular shape corresponding tothe pixel area. The pixel electrode PXL may have the shape of aplurality of segments. Especially, the pixel electrode PXL is verticallyoverlapped with the common electrode COM with the second passivationlayer PA2 there-between. Between the pixel electrode PXL and the commonelectrode COM, the fringe electric field is formed. By this fringeelectric field, the liquid crystal molecules arrayed in plane directionbetween the thin film transistor substrate and the color filtersubstrate may be rotated according to the dielectric anisotropy of theliquid crystal molecules. According to the rotation degree of the liquidcrystal molecules, the light transmittance ratio of the pixel area maybe changed to represent desired gray scale.

In FIGS. 4 and 5 for explaining the second application example of thepresent disclosure, in convenience, the thin film transistor T of theliquid crystal display is shown briefly. The first and/or the secondthin film transistors T1 and/or T2 explained from the first to secondembodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to this thin filmtransistor. In one example, for a low speed driving, the second thinfilm transistor T2 having the oxide semiconductor material can beapplied to the thin film transistor T. In another example, for low powerconsumption, the first thin film transistor T1 having thepolycrystalline semiconductor material may be applied to the thin filmtransistor T. In still another example, the thin film transistor T maybe formed as including the first and the second thin film transistors T1and T2 and they are connected so that their performance andcharacteristics can compensate each other.

Third Application Example

FIG. 6 is a plane view illustrating the structure of one pixel for theactive matrix type organic light emitting diode display having theactive switching elements such as the thin film transistors according toa third application example of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a crosssectional view illustrating the structure of the organic light emittingdiode display along to the cutting line of II-IF in FIG. 6 according tothe third application example of the present disclosure.

With reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the active matrix type organic lightemitting diode display comprises a switching thin film transistor ST, adriving thin film transistor DT connected to the switching thin filmtransistor ST, and an organic light emitting diode OLE connected to thedriving thin film transistor DT.

The switching thin film transistor ST is formed where a gate line GL anda data line DL are crossing each other, on a substrate SUB. Supplyingthe data voltage from the data line DL to the gate electrode DG of thedriving thin film transistor DT and to the storage capacitance STGreplying the scan signal, the switching thin film transistor ST acts forselecting the pixel which is connected to the switching thin filmtransistor ST. The switching thin film transistor ST includes a gateelectrode SG branching from the gate line GL, a semiconductor channellayer SA overlapping with the gate electrode SG, a source electrode SSand a drain electrode SD. Controlling the amount of the current appliedto the organic light emitting diode OLE of the pixel according to thegate voltage, the driving thin film transistor DT acts for driving theorganic light emitting diode OLE disposed at the pixel selected by theswitching thin film transistor ST.

The driving thin film transistor DT includes a gate electrode DGconnected to the drain electrode SD of the switching thin filmtransistor ST, a semiconductor channel layer DA, a source electrode DSconnected to the driving current line VDD, and a drain electrode DD. Thedrain electrode DD of the driving thin film transistor DT is connectedto the anode electrode ANO of the organic light emitting diode OLE.Between the anode electrode ANO and the cathode electrode CAT, anorganic light emitting layer OL is disposed. The cathode electrode CATis connected to the ground line VSS.

With more detailed reference to FIG. 7, on the substrate SUB of theactive matrix organic light emitting diode display, the gate electrodesSG and DG of the switching thin film transistor ST and the driving thinfilm transistor DT, respectively are disposed. On the gate electrodes SGand DG, the gate insulator GI is deposited. On the gate insulator GIoverlapping with the gate electrodes SG and DG, the semiconductor layersSA and DA are disposed, respectively. On the semiconductor layer SA andDA, the source electrodes SS and DS and the drain electrodes SD and DDfacing and separated from each other, respectively, are disposed. Thedrain electrode SD of the switching thin film transistor ST is connectedto the gate electrode DG of the driving thin film transistor DT via thedrain contact hole DH penetrating the gate insulator GI. The passivationlayer PAS is deposited on the substrate SUB having the switching thinfilm transistor ST and the driving thin film transistor DT.

A color filer CF is disposed at the area where the anode electrode ANOis disposed. It is preferable for the color filter CF to have a largearea as possible. For example, it is preferable to overlap with someportions of the data line DL, the driving current line VDD and/or thegate line GL. The upper surface of the substrate having these thin filmtransistors ST and DT and color filters CF is not in an even and/orsmooth condition, but in an uneven and/or rugged condition having manysteps. In order that the organic light emitting diode display has goodluminescent quality over the whole display area, the organic lightemitting layer OL should have an even or smooth surface. So, to make theupper surface in a planar and even condition, the planar layer PAC orthe overcoat layer OC is deposited on the whole surface of the substrateSUB.

Then, on the overcoat layer OC, the anode electrode ANO of the organiclight emitting diode OLED is disposed. Here, the anode electrode ANO isconnected to the drain electrode DD of the driving thin film transistorDT through the pixel contact hole PH penetrating the overcoat layer OCand the passivation layer PAS.

On the substrate SUB having the anode electrode ANO, a bank (or “bankpattern”) BA is disposed over the area having the switching thin filmtransistor ST, the driving thin film transistor DT and the various linesDL, GL, and VDD, for defining the pixel area. The exposed portion of theanode electrode ANO by the bank BA is the light emitting area. On theanode electrode ANO exposed from the bank BA, the organic light emittinglayer OL is deposited. On the organic light emitting layer OL, thecathode electrode ACT is deposited. For the case that the organic lightemitting layer OL has a material emitting the white light, each pixelcan represent various colors by the color filter CF disposed under theanode electrode ANO. The organic light emitting diode display as shownin FIG. 7 is the bottom emission type display in which the visible lightis radiated to the bottom direction of the display substrate.

Between the gate electrode DG of the driving thin film transistor DT andthe anode electrode ANO, a storage capacitance STG may be formed. Byconnected to the driving thin film transistor DT, the storagecapacitance STG keeps the voltage supplied to the gate electrode DG ofthe driving thin film transistor DT from the switching thin filmtransistor ST in stable condition.

Using the thin film transistor substrate like the above explanations, anactive type flat panel display having good properties can be acquired.Especially, to ensure excellent driving properties, it is preferablethat the active layer of the thin film transistor would include a metaloxide semiconductor material.

The metal oxide semiconductor material may be degraded when it isworking exposed by the light for a long time. Therefore, it ispreferable that the thin film transistor having a metal oxidesemiconductor material has a structure for blocking light from outsideof the upper portion and/or the lower portion of the thin filmtransistor. For example, for the above mentioned thin film transistorsubstrates, it is preferable that the thin film transistor would beformed in the bottom gate structure. That is, the light induced from theoutside of the substrate, especially from the lower side of thesubstrate facing the observer, can be blocked by the gate electrode Gincluding an opaque metal material.

The thin film transistor substrate for the flat panel display has aplurality of pixel area disposed in a matrix manner. Further, each pixelarea includes at least one thin film transistor. That is, over the wholesubstrate, a plurality of thin film transistor is disposed. Theplurality of pixel area and the plurality of thin film transistor areused for the same purpose and they should have the same quality andcharacteristics, so that they have the same structure.

However, in some cases, the thin film transistors may be formed ashaving different characteristics from each other. For the example of theorganic light emitting diode display, in one pixel area, at least oneswitching thin film transistor ST and at least one driving thin filmtransistor DT are disposed. As the purposes of the switching thin filmtransistor ST and the driving thin film transistor DT are different fromeach other, the characteristics of the two are different from each otheras well. To do so, the switch thin film transistor ST and the drivingthin film transistor DT may have the same structure and the samesemiconductor material, but the channel layers of them have differentsizes for optimizing their characteristics. Otherwise, a compensatingthin film transistor may further be included for supporting any specificfunctions or properties of any thin film transistor.

In FIGS. 6 and 7, the switching thin film transistor ST and the drivingthin film transistor DT of the organic light emitting diode display ofthe third application example are shown. The first and/or the secondthin film transistors T1 and/or T2 explained from the first to secondembodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to this thin filmtransistor. For example, the second thin film transistor T2 having theoxide semiconductor material can be applied for the switching thin filmtransistor ST. The first thin film transistor T1 having thepolycrystalline semiconductor material may be applied for the drivingthin film transistor DT. Therefore, by including the first and thesecond thin film transistors T1 and T2 on one substrate, theirperformance and characteristics can compensate each other.

Fourth Application Example

For still another example, a driver element (or “driver IC”) may beformed in the non-display area of the same thin film transistorsubstrate for the flat panel display. Hereinafter, with reference toFIGS. 8 and 9, a thin film transistor substrate having the driver IC onthe same substrate will be explained.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged plane view illustrating a structure of an organiclight emitting diode display according to a fourth application exampleof the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view illustratinga structure of the organic light emitting diode display along to thecutting line of III-III′ in FIG. 8 according to a fourth applicationexample of the present disclosure. Here, as the explanation for the thinfilm transistor substrate having a driver therein is similar, a detailedexplanation about the thin film transistor substrate and the organiclight emitting diode will be omitted.

The plane structure of the organic light emitting diode displayaccording to the fourth application example will be explained in detailwith reference to FIG. 8. An organic light emitting diode displayaccording to the fourth application example comprises a substrate SUBincluding a display area AA for representing the video information and anon-display area NA having various elements for driving the elements inthe display area AA. In the display area AA, a plurality of pixel areasPA disposed in a matrix manner are defined. In FIG. 8, the pixel area PAis illustrated as the dotted line.

For example, the pixel areas PA can be defined as an N (row)×M (column)matrix. However, the disposed pattern is not restricted this manner, buthas various types. Each of the pixel area PA has the same size or adifferent size. With one unit pixel having three sub pixels includingred (R), green (G), and blue (B) sub pixels, the unit pixels areregularly disposed. Explaining with a simple structure, the pixel areaPA can be defined by the crossing structure of a plurality of gate linesGL running in a horizontal direction and a plurality of data lines DLrunning in a vertical direction.

In the non-display area NA defined as the peripheral area surroundingthe pixel area PA, a data driving integrated circuit DIC for supplyingthe video data to the data line DL and a gate driving integrated circuitGIP for supplying the scan signal to the gate line GL are disposed. Fora case of a higher resolution display panel than a VGA panel in whichmore data lines DL and more driving current lines VDD may be used, thedata driving integrated circuit DIC may be externally installed from thesubstrate SUB, and data contact pads may be disposed on the substrateSUB instead of the data driving integrated circuit DIC.

In order to simply show the structure of the display, the gate drivingintegrated circuit GIP is formed on one side portion of the substrateSUB directly. The ground line VSS for supplying the ground voltage maybe disposed at the outermost side of the substrate SUB. The ground lineVSS is disposed to receive the ground voltage from an external devicelocated out of the substrate SUB, and to supply the ground voltage tothe data driving integrated circuit DIC and the gate driving integratedcircuit GIP. For example, the ground line VSS may be linked to the datadriving integrated circuit DIC disposed at the upper side of thesubstrate SUB and to the gate driving integrated circuit GIP disposed atthe right side and/or left side of the substrate SUB to surround thesubstrate SUB.

At each pixel area PA, the main elements such as an organic lightemitting diode and thin film transistors for driving the organic lightemitting diode are disposed. The thin film transistor is disposed at thethin film transistor area TA defined at one side of the pixel area PA.The organic light emitting diode includes an anode electrode ANO, acathode electrode CAT and an organic light emission layer OL insertedbetween these two electrodes. The actual emission area is decided by thearea of the organic light emission layer OL overlapping the anodeelectrode ANO.

The anode electrode ANO has a shape as to occupy some area of the pixelarea PA and is connected to the thin film transistor formed in the thinfilm transistor area TA. The organic light emission layer OL isdeposited on the anode electrode ANO. The cathode electrode CAT isdeposited on the organic light emission layer OL to cover a wholesurface of the display area AA having the pixel areas PA.

The cathode electrode CAT may go over the gate driving integratedcircuit GIP and contact the ground line VSS disposed at the outer side.So, the ground voltage can be supplied to the cathode electrode CATthrough the ground line VSS. The cathode electrode CAT receives theground voltage and the anode electrode ANO receives the voltagecorresponding to the video data and then, by the voltage differencebetween the cathode electrode CAT and the anode electrode ANO, theorganic light emission layer OL radiates the light to represent thevideo information.

The cross-sectional structure of the organic light emitting diodedisplay according to the fourth application example will be explained indetail with reference to FIG. 9. On the substrate SUB, a non-displayarea NA and a display area AA are defined. The non-display area NAincludes an area where the gate driving integrated circuit GIP and theground line VSS are disposed. The display area AA includes an area wherea switching thin film transistor ST, a driving thin film transistor DTand an organic light emitting diode OLE are defined.

The gate driving integrated circuit GIP has thin film transistors whichare formed when the switching thin film transistor ST and the drivingthin film transistor DT are formed. The switching thin film transistorST in the pixel area PA has a gate electrode SG, a gate insulating layerGI, a channel layer SA, a source electrode SS and a drain electrode SD.In addition, the driving thin film transistor DT has a gate electrode DGconnected to the drain electrode SD of the switching thin filmtransistor ST, the gate insulating layer GI, a channel layer DA, asource electrode DS, and a drain electrode DD.

On the thin film transistors ST and DT, a passivation layer PAS and aplanar layer PL are sequentially deposited. On the planar layer PL, ananode electrode ANO having an isolation shape within the pixel area PAis disposed. The anode electrode ANO connects to the drain electrode DDof the driving thin film transistor DT through the contact holepenetrating the passivation layer PAS and the planar layer PL.

On the substrate SUB having the anode electrode ANO, a bank BA isdeposited for defining the emission area. By patterning the bank BA, themost center portions of the anode electrode ANO are exposed. On theexposed anode electrode ANO, an organic light emission layer OL isdeposited. Depositing a transparent conductive material on the bank BAand the organic light emission layer OL, the cathode electrode CAT isstacked. The organic light emitting diode OLED including the anodeelectrode ANO, the organic light emission layer OL, and the cathodeelectrode CAT is disposed.

In the case that the organic light emission layer OL may generate thewhite lights, color filters CF may be further included for representingfull color video information. In that case, the organic light emissionlayer OL would be preferably deposited as covering the whole surface ofthe display area AA.

The cathode electrode CAT is expanded over the gate driving integratedcircuit GIP so that it may cover the display area AA and the non-displayarea NA and contact the ground line VSS disposed at the outercircumstance of the substrate SUB. As a result, the ground (or,reference) voltage can be supplied to the cathode electrode CAT via theground line VSS.

In addition, the ground line VSS may be formed at the same layer andmade of the same material with the gate electrodes SG and DG. In thatcase, the cathode electrode CAT can be connected to the ground line VSSthrough the contact hole penetrating the passivation layer PAS and thegate insulating layer GI over the ground line VSS. Otherwise, the groundline VSS may be formed at the same layer and made of the same materialwith the source-drain electrodes SS-SD and DS-DD. In this case, thecathode electrode CAT can be connected to the ground line VSS throughthe contact hole penetrating the passivation layer PAS over the groundline VSS.

In FIGS. 8 and 9, the switching thin film transistor ST and the drivingthin film transistor DT of the organic light emitting diode display ofthe fourth application example are shown. The first and/or the secondthin film transistors T1 and/or T2, explained in the first to secondembodiments of the present disclosure, can be applied to these thin filmtransistors. For example, the second thin film transistor T2 having theoxide semiconductor material can be applied for the switching thin filmtransistor ST. The first thin film transistor T1 having thepolycrystalline semiconductor material may be applied for the drivingthin film transistor DT. Further, for the gate driver IC GIP, the firstthin film transistor T1 having the polycrystalline semiconductormaterial may be applied. For example, for the gate driver IC GIP, theC-MOS type thin film transistor may include P-MOS type and N-MOS typethin film transistors.

A thin film transistor substrate for a flat panel display and a displayusing the same according to the present disclosure comprises twodifferent types of thin film transistors on the same substrate so thatthe disadvantage of any one type of thin film transistor can becompensated by the other type of thin film transistor. For example, witha thin film transistor having low frequency driving characteristics, thedisplay can have the low power consumption property, and the display canbe applied to the portable and/or wearable appliances.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made in the present inventionwithout departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it isintended that embodiments of the present invention cover themodifications and variations of this invention provided they come withinthe scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display, comprising: a first thin filmtransistor, the first thin film transistor comprising: a polycrystallinesemiconductor layer; a first gate electrode on the polycrystallinesemiconductor layer; a first source electrode; and a first drainelectrode; a second thin film transistor, the second thin filmtransistor comprising: a second gate electrode; an oxide semiconductorlayer on the second gate electrode; a second source electrode; and asecond drain electrode; an intermediate insulating layer comprising anitride layer and an oxide layer on the nitride layer, the intermediateinsulating layer being disposed on the first gate electrode and thesecond gate electrode and under the oxide semiconductor layer; anetch-stopper layer disposed on the oxide semiconductor layer; and adriver comprising: a data driver outputting a data voltage; amultiplexer distributing the data voltage from the data driver to a dataline; a gate driver outputting a scan pulse to a gate line, wherein atleast one of the first thin film transistor and the second thin filmtransistor is disposed in a pixel, and wherein at least one of the firstthin film transistor and the second thin film transistor is disposed atany one of the multiplexer and the gate driver.
 2. The display of claim1, further comprising a gate insulating layer covering thepolycrystalline semiconductor layer.
 3. The display of claim 2, whereinthe first gate electrode and the second gate electrode are formed on thegate insulating layer.
 4. The display of claim 1, wherein: the secondthin film transistor is a switching element for selecting a pixel; andthe first thin film transistor is a driving element for driving anorganic light emitting diode of the pixel selected by the second thinfilm transistor.
 5. The display of claim 2, wherein: the first sourceelectrode is disposed on the etch-stopper layer, and is connected to oneportion of the polycrystalline semiconductor layer through a firstsource contact hole penetrating the etch-stopper layer, the intermediateinsulating layer, and the gate insulating layer; the first drainelectrode is disposed on the etch-stopper layer, and is connected toanother portion of the polycrystalline semiconductor layer through afirst drain contact hole penetrating the etch-stopper layer, theintermediate insulating layer, and the gate insulating layer; the secondsource electrode is disposed on the etch-stopper layer, and is connectedto one portion of the oxide semiconductor layer through a second sourcecontact hole penetrating the etch-stopper layer; and the second drainelectrode is disposed on the etch-stopper layer, and is connected toanother portion of the oxide semiconductor layer through a second draincontact hole penetrating the etch-stopper layer.
 6. The display of claim1, wherein: the second source electrode is disposed on the etch-stopperlayer and contacts one portion of the oxide semiconductor layer; and thesecond drain electrode is disposed on the etch-stopper layer andcontacts another portion of the oxide semiconductor layer.
 7. Thedisplay of claim 1, wherein each of the nitride layer and the oxidelayer has a thickness of 1,000 Å˜3,000 Å.
 8. A display, comprising: afirst semiconductor layer, the first semiconductor layer comprising apolycrystalline semiconductor material; a gate insulating layer coveringthe first semiconductor layer; a first gate electrode disposed on thegate insulating layer, the first gate electrode overlapping the firstsemiconductor layer; a second gate electrode disposed on the gateinsulating layer; an intermediate insulating layer covering the firstgate electrode and the second gate electrode, the intermediateinsulating layer comprising: a nitride layer; and an oxide layer on thenitride layer; a second semiconductor layer disposed on the intermediateinsulating layer, the second semiconductor layer comprising an oxidesemiconductor material, the second semiconductor layer overlapping thesecond gate electrode; a first source electrode and a first drainelectrode disposed on the intermediate insulating layer; an etch-stopperlayer disposed on the second semiconductor layer; a second sourceelectrode and a second drain electrode disposed on the etch-stopperlayer; and a driver comprising: a data driver outputting a data voltage;a multiplexer distributing the data voltage from the data driver to adata line; and a gate driver outputting a scan pulse to a gate line,and, wherein at least one of the first thin film transistor and thesecond thin film transistor is disposed in a pixel, and wherein at leastone of the first thin film transistor and the second thin filmtransistor is disposed at any one of the multiplexer and the gatedriver.
 9. The display of claim 8, wherein: a first thin film transistorcomprises: the first semiconductor layer; the first gate electrode; thefirst source electrode; and the first drain electrode; and a second thinfilm transistor comprises: the second semiconductor layer; the secondgate electrode; the second source electrode; and the second drainelectrode.
 10. The display of claim 9, wherein: the second thin filmtransistor is a switching element for selecting a pixel; and the firstthin film transistor is a driving element for driving an organic lightemitting diode of the pixel selected by the second thin film transistor.11. The display of claim 8, wherein: the first source electrode isdisposed on the etch-stopper layer, and is connected to one portion ofthe first semiconductor layer through a first source contact holepenetrating the etch-stopper layer, the intermediate insulating layer,and the gate insulating layer; the first drain electrode is disposed onthe etch-stopper layer, and is connected to another portion of the firstsemiconductor layer through a first drain contact hole penetrating theetch-stopper layer, the intermediate insulating layer, and the gateinsulating layer; the second source electrode is connected to oneportion of the second semiconductor layer through a second sourcecontact hole penetrating the etch-stopper layer; and the second drainelectrode is connected to another portion of the second semiconductorlayer through a second drain contact hole penetrating the etch-stopperlayer.
 12. The display of claim 8, wherein: the second source electrodecontacts one portion of the oxide semiconductor layer; and the seconddrain electrode contacts another portion of the oxide semiconductorlayer.
 13. The display of claim 8, wherein each of the nitride layer andthe oxide layer has a thickness of 1,000 Å˜3,000 Å.
 14. A display,comprising: a first thin film transistor, the first thin film transistorcomprising: a polycrystalline semiconductor layer; a first gateelectrode on the polycrystalline semiconductor layer; a first sourceelectrode; and a first drain electrode; a second thin film transistor,the second thin film transistor comprising: a second gate electrode; anoxide semiconductor layer on the second gate electrode; a second sourceelectrode; and a second drain electrode; an intermediate insulatinglayer comprising a nitride layer and an oxide layer on the nitridelayer, the intermediate insulating layer being disposed on the firstgate electrode and the second gate electrode and under the oxidesemiconductor layer; an etch-stopper layer disposed on the oxidesemiconductor layer; and a driver comprising: a data driver outputting adata voltage; a multiplexer distributing the data voltage from the datadriver to a data line; and a gate driver outputting a scan pulse to agate line, and wherein at least one of the first thin film transistorand the second thin film transistor is disposed in a pixel, wherein atleast one of the first thin film transistor and the second thin filmtransistor is disposed at any one of the multiplexer and the gatedriver, and wherein the intermediate insulating layer further comprisesa lower oxide layer disposed: under the nitride layer, and on the firstand the second gate electrodes.
 15. The display of claim 14, furthercomprising a gate insulating layer covering the polycrystallinesemiconductor layer.
 16. The display of claim 15, wherein the first gateelectrode and the second gate electrode are formed on the gateinsulating layer.
 17. The display of claim 14, wherein: the second thinfilm transistor is a switching element for selecting a pixel; andwherein the first thin film transistor is a driving element for drivingan organic light emitting diode of the pixel selected by the second thinfilm transistor.